Clare Amies: Don’t let death be a part of your Christmas

NOVEMBER and December are the most lethal months for Victorian workers, making up 25 per cent of all workplace fatalities, writes Clare Amies.

A police officer comforts a construction worker at a site in South Wharf where a worker was killed. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

WHEN the calendar turns over to November 1 each year, WorkSafe inspectors take a deep breath and prepare for the worst.

To many Victorians, that might seem more than a little strange.

After all, what’s not to like about this time of year? The weather is finally starting to feel a little warmer, the Spring Racing Carnival is in full swing and the Christmas holidays are just over the horizon.

You can sense the mood of every Victorian becoming a little lighter as the state emerges from a winter that seems to have lasted forever.

WORKER DEATH ON SOUTH WHARF CONSTRUCTION SITE

But not at WorkSafe. The tragic fact is that November-December is the most dangerous time of year for Victorian workers.

According to WorkSafe statistics, almost 25 per cent of all workplace fatalities occur in that two-month period.

Last year, in a horrifying 26-day period that began on November 4, eight people died in workplaces across the state. Three men died on farms, two died from falls, one was electrocuted, one died in a trenching explosion, and was one was crushed by material that fell from a forklift.

It’s why everyone at WorkSafe draws a collective breath and our inspectors renew their efforts to promote the need for workplace safety.

So why is this time of year so deadly?

Police and Worksafe investigate the scene where a farmer was killed when the tractor he was driving rolled over.

We know it’s a busy time for many businesses. In agriculture, the grain and hay harvests are getting under way, while farmers and contractors are busy on their tractors slashing paddocks, boundaries and roadside verges to prepare for the fire season.

The construction sector is hard at work as builders, contractors and tradies push to complete projects before the Christmas shutdown.

And the manufacturing sector is busy finalising last-minute orders, and supply chains are humming as produce and goods flow from trucks, trains and containers through ports and warehouses and into the retail sector.

The hospitality industry is lifting a gear as Victorians emerge from hibernation and more tourists arrive from interstate and overseas.

And countless small businesses across the state are being asked by customers to fit in “just one more job” before the end of the year.

Everywhere you look, you can sense workers, businesses and industries picking up the pace as the end of the year looms.

And who isn’t thinking about Christmas, time off with family and friends, or planning a summer holiday?

So why do so many workers die at this time of year? Every workplace fatality is different and has its own unique set of circumstances, but perhaps it’s the pressure of completing a project on time, or people are thinking of their upcoming holidays instead of concentrating on the task at hand.

Maybe safe systems of work aren’t put in place; or perhaps they are, but then shortcuts are taken.

We don’t really have an answer, but what we do know is that the safest workplace is the one where employers and workers stop and take the time to think about the work they will be doing and plan to do it as safely as possible.

Yes, it might mean using more resources or allowing extra time, but no deadline is worth a person’s life.

Worksafe investigators at the scene of a fatality in Belmont.

Last week, a worker died at a construction site at South Wharf. His death took the number of workplace fatalities in Victoria this year to 24. One fatality is one too many, but to have so many people die at work is gut-wrenching. And November hasn’t even started yet.

The impact of each fatality is enormous. Left behind are grieving families and friends who have to come to grips with such a sudden and traumatic loss. So, too, do the victim’s colleagues and workmates, especially those who may have witnessed the incident, or been first on the scene.

WORKSAFE inspectors, and the emergency crews who attend these fatalities, see time and time again the devastating effect on everyone involved.

And that’s why the message from our inspectors to every workplace is a simple one: please, ensure everyone is safe in the lead-up to Christmas. Take care, slow down and look after your mates and colleagues.

As November 1 arrives, WorkSafe is asking every Victorian employer and worker to take a moment to think of the impact that a workplace fatality would have on them.

Then, talk to each other about the strategies that need to be implemented to ensure every task can be handled safely.

The coming weeks should be a time of anticipation and excitement as we all look forward to the holidays. We don’t want any family to be looking at an empty seat at the dinner table on Christmas Day and feeling the heartache that 24 families will be experiencing this year.

Make workplace safety your No.1 priority.

CLARE AMIES IS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF WORKSAFE VICTORIA